Method, apparatus and system for fitness sorting and count verifying straps of currency

Claim 1

A system for sorting currency according to fitness for circulation, wherein the currency is batched in straps, each normally including a predetermined fixed number of bills, the system comprising, in combination: A. a monitoring station; B. an input hopper for accommodating a plurality of said straps, C. a batch separator card for segregating the straps of bills as accommodated in said input hopper; D. first receiving means; E. second receiving means; F. means for feeding individual bills of currency from said input hopper seriatim through said monitoring station; G. a diverter for routing bills exiting from said monitoring station into either of said first and second receiving means; H. a source of irradiating the bills while in transit through said monitoring station with radiation to which each bill exhibits a degree of transmittance varying with its relative fitness; I. a fitness radiation sensor located in said monitoring station for generating an electrical response proportional to the transparency of each bill to said radiation from said source; and J. means located at said monitoring station for defining a fitness sensing aperture optically aligned between said source and said fitness sensor for limiting the irradiation of each bill passing through said monitoring station to a predetermined limited area thereof, and K. a detector operating in response to the arrival of each bill in said monitoring station to derive a timing signal for delaying the operative effect of said fitness sensor electrical response until each bill is properly located relative to said aperture; L. a batch card detector actuated in response to the passage of each batch separator card through said monitoring station for deriving a count verification signal; M. means for processing the electrical response of said fitness sensor to the incident radiation transmitted through each bill relative to a predetermined reference transparency value, said processing means 1 operatively connected to control said diverter such as to accumulate fit bills in said first receiving means and unfit bills in said second receiving means, and 2 processing said fitness sensor electrical response in conjunction with said timing signal to derive a fit count pulse with the passage of each fit bill through said monitoring station and an unfit count pulse with the passage of each unfit bill through said monitoring station; N. a fit counter for accumulating said fit count pulses; O. an unfit counter for accumulating said unfit count pulses; P. a strap counter for accumulating said fit and unfit count pulses up to said predetermined number and thereupon to generate an output signal; and Q. means responsive to said count verification signal and said strap counter output signal for halting said feeding means in the event said signals fail to occur coincidentally.

Claim 2

A system for sorting currency according to fitness for circulation, wherein the currency is batched in straps, each normally including a predetermined fixed number of bills, the system comprising, in combination: A. a monitoring station; B. an input hopper for accommodating a plurality of said straps, C. a batch separator card for segregating the straps of bills as accommodated in said input hopper; D. first receiving means; E. second receiving means; F. means for feeding individual bills of currency from said input hopper seriatim through said monitoring station; G. a diverter for routing bills exiting from said monitoring station into either of said first and second receiving means; H. a source of irradiating the bills while in transit through said monitoring station with radiation to which each bill exhibits a degree of transmittance varying with its relative fitness; I. a fitness radiation sensor located in said monitoring station for generating an electrical response proportional to the transparency of each bill to said radiation from said source; and J. means located at said monitoring station for defining a fitness sensing aperture optically aligned between said source and said fitness sensor for limiting the irradiation of each bill passing through said monitoring station to a predetermined limited area thereof, and K. a detector operating in response to the arrival of each bill in said monitoring station to derive a timing signal for delaying the operative effect of said fitness sensor electrical response until each bill is properly located relative to said aperture; L. a batch card detector actuated in response to the passage of each batch separator card through said monitoring station for deriving a count verification signal; M. means for processing the electrical response of said fitness sensor to the incident radiation transmitted through each bill relative to a predetermined reference transparency value, said processing means 1 operatively connected to control said diverter such as to accumulate fit bills in said first receiving means and unfit bills in said second receiving means, and 2 processing said fitness sensor electrical response in conjunction with said timing signal to derive a fit count pulse with the passage of each fit bill through said monitoring station and an unfit count pulse with the passage of each unfit bill through said monitoring station; N. a fit counter for accumulating said fit count pulses; O. an unfit counter for accumulating said unfit count pulses; P. a strap counter for accumulating said fit and unfit count pulses up to said predetermined number and thereupon to generate an output signal; and Q. means responsive to said count verification signal and said strap counter output signal for halting said feeding means in the event said signals fail to occur coincidentally.

Claim 8

A system for sorting currency according to fitness for circulation wherein the currency is batched in straps, each normally including a predetermined fixed number of bills, the system comprising, in combination: A. a monitoring station; B. an input hopper for accumulating a plurality of straps; C. a batch separator card for segregating straps of bills as accommodated in said input hopper; D. first receiving means; E. second receiving means; F. means for feeding individual bills from said input hopper seriatim through said monitoring station; G. a diverter for routing bills exiting from said monitoring station to either said first or second receiving means; H. means in said monitoring station for testing each successive bill for fitness in relation to a predetermined fitness standard and deriving a digitized fitness signal having a first logical significance for each bill determined to be fit and a second logical significance for each bill determined to be unfit; I. a batch card detector actuated in response to the passage of each batch separator card through said monitoring station for deriving a count verification signal; J. logic means for processing said fitness signal to control said diverter so as to accumulate fit bills in said first receiving means and unfit bills in said second receiving means, said logic means further processes said fitness signal to derive a fit count pulse with the passage of each fit bill through said monitoring station and an unfit count pulse with the passage of each unfit bill through said monitoring station; K. counting means controlled from said logic means for accumulating said fit count pulses in a fit counter and said unfit count pulses in an unfit counter; L. a strap counter for accumulating fit and unfit count pulses up to said predetermined number and thereupon to generate an output signal; and M. means responsive to said count verification signal and said strap counter output signal for halting said feeding means in the event that said signals fail to occur coincidentally.

Claim 9

A system for sorting currency according to fitness for circulation wherein the currency is batched in straps, each normally including a predetermined fixed number of bills, the system comprising, in combination: A. a monitoring station; B. an input hopper for accumulating a plurality of straps; C. a batch separator card for segregating straps of bills as accommodated in said input hopper; D. first receiving means; E. second receiving means; F. means for feeding individual bills from said input hopper seriatim through said monitoring station; G. a diverter for routing bills exiting from said monitoring station to either said first or second receiving means; H. means in said monitoring station for testing each successive bill for fitness in relation to a predetermined fitness standard and deriving a digitized fitness signal having a first logical significance for each bill determined to be fit and a second logical significance for each bill determined to be unfit; I. a batch card detector actuated in response to the passage of each batch separator card through said monitoring station for deriving a count verification signal; J. logic means for processing said fitness signal to control said diverter so as to accumulate fit bills in said first receiving means and unfit bills in said second receiving means, said logic means further processes said fitness signal to derive a fit count pulse with the passage of each fit bill through said monitoring station and an unfit count pulse with the passage of each unfit bill through said monitoring station; K. counting means controlled from said logic means for accumulating said fit count pulses in a fit counter and said unfit count pulses in an unfit counter; L. a strap counter for accumulating fit and unfit count pulses up to said predetermined number and thereupon to generate an output signal; and M. means responsive to said count verification signal and said strap counter output signal for halting said feeding means in the event that said signals fail to occur coincidentally.